The incumbent Criddle had accused Faulkner of being a rubber stamp for party leaders and had called her out for past donations to Democratic political campaigns. Faulkner said Criddle is divisive and extreme and lacks Faulkner's experience running a small business.

Criddle's loss represents one of several blows to the tea party's renewed effort to take over the Ohio Republican Party through central committee seats.

Tea party leader Tom Zawistowski said he wasn't sure on Wednesday how many central committee seats had gone to tea partiers. He did claim victory in three Southwest Ohio legislative primaries: former Mount Lookout state Rep. Tom Brinkman's defeat of Rep. Peter Stautberg, R-Anderson Township; Mason real estate developer Paul Zeltwanger's defeat of indicted Rep. Peter Beck, R-Mason; and Madeira attorney Jonathan Dever's apparent victory in the race to vie for an open Statehouse seat in November.

In the Faulkner-Criddle race, mainstream Republicans supported Faulkner. Criddle has had a chilly relationship with GOP leaders since 2012, when she opposed Gov. John Kasich's push to remove then-Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine in the leadup to the presidential election. She then abstained from voting for Kasich's pick, now-Chairman Matt Borges.

That relationship became more tense once Faulkner announced she would challenge Criddle's tenure in Tuesday's primary.

Christa Criddle(Photo: Photo provided)

Criddle had worked for Auditor Dave Yost since 2011, handling community relations in the state auditor's office that works with Southwest Ohio local governments.

After Faulkner's entry into the race, Criddle resigned her job with Yost's office.

"Once I started campaigning against Faulkner, I was given the ultimatum to resign my position on the committee or leave my job," Criddle said. "Because I am a principled person, I resigned."

Criddle had run on a "ticket" with Douglas "Burr" Robinson of Hyde Park, who was challenging former Ohio Senate President Stanley Aronoff, of East Walnut Hills. Aronoff won the GOP state central committee seat with 58 percent of the vote.